Violent Dudley robbers jailed (From Dudley News)

Violent Dudley robbers jailed

3:53pm Monday 17th September 2012 in News

TWO violent Dudley armed robbers who subjected an immobile Cradley man to a frightening ordeal in his 12th floor flat have been jailed for over a decade each.

Judge Martin Walsh said it was clear 41 year-old Richard Homer from Dudley and 34 year-old Aaron Rowbottom from Netherton, who were also joined by Timothy Partridge from Stourbridge, had targeted their 50 year-old vulnerable victim who now felt his life had been ruined.

He said Vincent Homer - no relation to Richard Homer - had been "terrified" by the robbers who carried a screwdriver and a chisel as they tried to get away with property of great sentimental value.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how Rowbotton was known to Mr Homer and after he gained access to his flat he let in his two accomplices who were masked.

Mr Bernard Linnemann prosecuting told the court how aggressive demands were made to Mr Homer to open the safe he had in his kitchen while the robbers also told him to give them the pin number to his cash card.

Richard Homer went to get money from the account but Mr Homer had given him the wrong pin number and, when he returned to the flat, the victim was brutally punched in the face by 47 year-old Partridge.

The three men then took cameras, mobile telephones and £30 in cash from the safe together with jewellery belonging to Mr Homer's late wife and Rowbottom also left with the correct pin number for the bank account.

But he was soon arrested by police officers who had been summoned to the multi-storey block, said Mr Linnemann, after a friend of Mr Homer’s, who had stopped by to visit him, heard the robbers demands and had notified police.
After they were all arrested Mr Homer made a victim impact statement saying he was terrified the men would return to kill him and the 40-minute robbery was "something he would never get over."
 

Richard Homer of St. Georges Road, Dudley, Rowbottom of Northfield Road, Netherton and Partridge of Trinity Road, Stourbridge all admitted robbery and were each jailed for ten and a half years.